Safety
by sillynekorobs
Summary: As Daxter and Tess grow closer Jak begins to feel like the third wheel, but a furry mishap may bring the three closer than they ever imagined. ottsel!Tess/ottsel!Daxter/ottsel!Jak
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

By Tempo & Sillyneko

**Disclaimer:** Jak & Daxter belongs to Naughty Dog, Inc.

**Note:** This is set after Jak X. The unedited version of this chapter and all chapters following (plus a special prologue!) are posted on my accounts over at AdultFanfiction dot org and Archive of Our Own. If you are of age, feel free to check it out!

* * *

Zoomers buzzed overhead, commuters blocking out the morning sun for a split second each. Jak tossed a duffle of equipment into his buggy, then glanced around the city he'd spent the last four years defending: battle-scarred, bare of beauty, but slowly rebuilding. Here and there, little splashes of life returned, be it in flower pots on apartment balconies or citizens nor longer scared of bright clothes for fear of attracting the Krimzon Guard's attention. Even the graffiti seemed cheerful.

As morning light warmed the giant metal idol his best friend had built to himself, he walked back the Naughty Ottsel bar. The dance floor stood empty, while a pair of orange ears bobbed behind the counter. All around the lounge area soap boxes sat in strategic locations, allowing someone just under three feet tall to reach tables and shelves.

As the door closed behind him, a blonde ottsel popped up. "Hey, Jak." Tess brushed a lock of hair from her blue eyes. "You're up early."

He nodded. "Gonna head out to the wastes. Heard some eco miners hit a cave while testing out new sites." He adjusted the morph gun on his back, then patted the rope at his hip. "Supposed to have a bunch of Precursor artifacts."

The lanky mustelid leaned forward onto the bar, standing on the foot-high step they'd installed. His best friend had a great girlfriend. Daxter kept people laughing at the bar. Tess made sure the stock stayed stocked, bills stayed paid, they had enough help, and… everything else. Her gaze stayed on the inventory tablet, though her tone softened. "Trouble with Keira again?"

With a grimace, Jak glanced in the mirror behind the counter. "Am I that obvious?"

She flashed him a gentle smile. "I've worked in a bar long enough to recognize something on the rocks." She cocked her head at the stairs. "Should we wake up Daxter?"

As if on cue, a groggy ottsel waddled down the staircase in a terrycloth bathrobe.

Tess perked up to a degree which should be illegal that early. "Morning, Daxxie-kins."

"Hey babe." He yawned and looked under the railing. "Jak! You just get here? Or'd ya finally use that key we gave ya?"

The blonde shook his head. "Just stopped in." He tried to hide a snicker with his hand. "Nice threads."

Daxter tightened the bright pink robe haughtily. "I'll have you know, it was the only one in my size!" He marched down the last stairs, then scurried up his buddy's body. "What's this I hear about adventure?"

Tess climbed from the bar and onto the hero's vacant shoulder. "I see how Daxter appreciates your perspective, Jak."

Unphased by mustelids climbing all over him, the young man cleared his throat. "We were just talking about some ruins."

"Are you taking my little honey-bunny with you?" Gripping his ear for support, she reached over Jak's head to pet Dax's shoulder.

"You can keep him this time. This isn't exactly fate-of-the-world stuff." Glancing in the mirror, the human shrugged under the weight of two ottsels. "Besides, I can't constantly pry the guy away from his beautiful girlfriend."

The female ottsel smiled at her boyfriend, then down at his best friend. "I could come with you boys."

Daxter cocked an eyebrow. "You sure you'd be up for that, Tess?"

She gave him The Look, with some extra to spare for Jak.

Her boyfriend averted his gaze and whistled his innocence.

"Actually, I was thinking you guys could stay." One in each hand, he lifted his fuzzy friends from his shoulders and set them on the bar. "I've been over here a lot lately. Hate to be a third wheel."

"Mi sofa es su sofa, Jakkie-boy, as always." His small orange fist bumped the man's shoulder. "Besides, it's not like ya snore _that_ loud."

Jak gave a gruff chuckle. "Unlike some people."

"Hey!" The shorter of the Demolition Duo crossed his scrawny arms indignantly.

"Oh Daxter…" Tess turned on the coffee machine and slipped her hand around his flank. "You're talking to the two people in the world who'd know."

"Anyway," Jak said, "I just didn't want you guys to worry about me."

"We'll try not to." She gave a reluctant smile. "Call if you need help."

With a curt nod and quick fist bump with Daxter, he headed for the door and fought back the pang of jealousy that had become so normal around them he had largely gotten used to it by now.

Daxter had it good with Tess. She was smarter than she let on and, just as important, actually kind—a commodity rarer than eco in a world of assholes. Plus, Tess was the one person besides Jak who treated _Daxter_ like a person, rather than an annoyance. Heck, Keira and Samos knew he used to be human and they didn't treat him as human as Tess did. Even before she had been turned into an ottsel he had tried to give the two of them time alone, between missions.

Jak, meanwhile, had a habit of chasing girls who couldn't decide if they liked him or not. He sighed. There was no point in brooding, least of all when new adventures waited for him outside the walls of Haven City. Outside, in the cool morning air, he climbed in his dune buggy and rumbled off toward the city gates, trying to outrun his frustrations.

- / - / - / - / -

Tess listened as Jak drove off. She wished she could think of something to say to make him feel better, something that wouldn't seem insensitive. She and Daxter never fought, though, so she had trouble wrapping her brain around the idea.

While the coffee brewed, her boyfriend padded back upstairs to get cleaned up. He'd figured out the correlation between having brushed his teeth and getting smooched. If other occupants of Haven City had been so clever, she might not have spent so much time single.

Why couldn't Jak just settle down, get his own place while he sorted things out instead of continuously bouncing around? The world wasn't in any particular peril at the moment, after all. Somebody in the city would rent to the man who'd helped Daxter save the planet. She'd even clear out one of the store rooms for him, if he ever got tired of crashing on that old upstairs sofa. Daxter wouldn't mind having him to pal around with, and Tess wouldn't complain about having another hunky guy around.

As she pondered, she also finished up the inventory. She made a mental note to order more cream liqueur and orange soda. Their new mixed drink, the Belly Rub, had proved pretty popular, though she wasn't sure people would be as excited about it if they knew where she'd gotten her inspiration...

A creak on the stairs interrupted Tess's daydream. She turned to see a pants-clad boyfriend bouncing down the stairs.

He crawled up onto a bar stool. "I can't believe he didn't take me. I mean us. I mean… ya know what I mean."

She poured him a coffee. Two creams and three sugars swirled his beverage to a pleasing tan color. "I know what you mean. But he's out in the wastes by now, checking out ruins. Too late to hitch a ride, I think." Reaching across the bar, she scritched under his chin. "Besides, I think he didn't want to drag you off just because he's having a tough time."

His tilted head up to enjoy the scratches as his orange paws closed around the steaming mug. "Still. I should'a made him take me. Explorin' the Wastelands alone is crazy, even by Jak standards..."

Tess nodded. She and her whiskerpuss had always taken advantage of Jak's occasional brooding to spend time together. It had started as innocent little datey-things back when, watching movies and eating popcorn, snuggled together, and led to, well… belly rubs. She ignored the lingering simmer of arousal and cleared her throat. "You've known him forever. What's he like when the world's not ending?"

"I'm not sure either of us knows." He took a sip of coffee. "I've been looking out for him for years, though, and he's a tough cookie."

The blonde ottsel gave him a slow nod. "Still, I think we should talk to him when he gets back." She glanced out the window. "I don't think he has anybody else to open up to."

- / - / - / - / -

Hours later, with a small satchel of Precursor artifacts at his hip, Jak considered heading back to Haven City. Outside the mouth of the cave, though, midday sun baked the desert. Heat rippled off the dunes, but in the shade of the rock opening the air hung cool and light. He guessed he'd have to wait out the heat there. It wasn't like anybody needed him back right away anyhow. Least of all Keira.

She'd still not really forgiven him for kissing Ashelin before they officially started dating, but she also still wouldn't acknowledge whatever had gone on between her and Erol—a recipe for resentment on both sides. Sometimes it seemed like a miracle they had ever gotten together at all.

When they were kids, Jak had always imagined himself being with Keira when they grew up. Even though he had been painfully shy, she had always liked him. Then again, coming from a tiny village, her social options had been limited.

But just today, they had broken up for what felt like the hundredth time. Maybe Dax was right after all, the last time he'd spoken up with uncharacteristic use of both tact and gentleness—maybe too much really had happened, and they'd grown too far apart.

At least Daxter never changed. Not much, anyway. Even with a sexy ottsel lady fawning over him he still wanted to ride around on Jak's shoulder, as his reluctance to stay behind that morning proved quite clearly.

Tess turning fuzzy, coincidentally, had turned out to have some surprising benefits. For one, an ottsel on each shoulder never threw out his back like carrying just Dax did. This earned him a few stray looks around town, but when you're the city's savior-on-tap, people cut you slack for being a budding ottsel hoarder. Another perk: the three of them fit in one zoomer now.

Now several years into life as an ottsel, Daxter took being short in stride, though Jak wished he would stop referring to it as "blowjob height." An image like that tended to stick in a guy's head. Really, all it would take would be the ottsel going on tip-toes to nuzzle right into his human pal's crotch. He couldn't even pinpoint exactly why, but lately, all it took was Dax brushing past to get him thinking about those gloved paws uncinching his belt, unzipping his fly…

Jak winced. The fact that he was having such thoughts about someone other than Keira was probably yet another letter in the writing on the wall. But more importantly even than that, he shouldn't be thinking like this about his best friend.

Sure, he'd had a crush on Dax when they were teenagers growing up back in Sandover. He was even pretty sure that crush had been returned, but insecurity had always kept his mouth shut, even after the time the two of them had "practiced" kissing. And after Daxter's swan dive into dark eco, they'd been too busy saving the world. Repeatedly.

Besides, heroes weren't supposed to date their sidekicks. And they certainly weren't supposed to stroke off thinking about them.

With a tired chuckle, he could almost hear his best friend snark: "Oh, don't worry; Jak beats things all the time!"

Mind awash in daydreams, he could feel a doze coming on. He had just enough energy to tuck his pack behind his head before heavy eyes drifted shut.

_- / - / - / - / -  
_

Jak opened his eyes to find that evening had fallen. He ran fingers through his long blonde hair and stood with a groan. Sleep hadn't come easy the last few nights; the need for real rest must have finally caught up with him.

Grabbing his satchel, he reached down to free the grappling hook from the ledge he had climbed down earlier that day. As he coiled the rope, though, a faint light caught his eye that hadn't been visible in the glare of full daylight. Deep in the cavern, a green glow faded in and out.

For a second, he considered heading back to Haven and coming back tomorrow. Daxter could probably use some adventure. There was no harm in checking it out first, though. Looping the cord through his harness, he rappelled back down the crevasse.

The ancient metal doors stood open a crack, bisecting their curved engravings. Shining his flashlight above it, Jak saw a fresh, jagged break in the rock, damaged that must have happened when the surveyors blasted in. Through the gap in the door, he glimpsed the weak, blinking light coming from what looked like some kind of hand tool.

Jamming his crowbar into the gap, he forced the doors apart. With a rumble and a falling curtain of dust, it slid open. Inside, ancient consoles sat dark and crystals refracted his flashlight's beam. He picked up the device that had drawn him here: some kind of power wrench. He stuffed it in his satchel. Sometimes the simpler Precursor devices led to discoveries of their own—after all, they had to be easier to reverse engineer.

He made a quick search of the room, just in case other salvagers made it down here before he got back. There in the gloom, under a fallen computer terminal, he spotted an ornate length of orange metal. He managed to work it free. The copper rod, about two feet long, clasped a polished green stone at the top.

Nice. Even if it turned out to be broken, they might be able to figure out how it worked. As he stuffed it in his pack, it gave a click. A soft little click.

A blinding release of energy flooded the room.

Warmth rushed through his body, lifting him from the stone floor for an instant before dropping him again. He could have sworn he fell further than he'd risen.

The flashlight in his hand suddenly seemed unreasonably hard to hold and heavy. He set it down, the beam the sole source of light in the inky cavern.

Shaking his head and blinking in the renewed darkness, Jak touched his forehead, then froze. He was covered in something, something soft, smooth, and familiar. He glanced down at a pair of fuzzy orange paws.

He swallowed, his throat feeling tighter, his voice higher. "Uh oh…"

- / - / - / - / -

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: As usual, the uncensored version can be found on adult fanfiction dot org.

/ - / - / - / - /

Tess paced in front of her drawing board, adding little flourishes to the design. Adjusting the lamp, she nibbled at the dull end of an engineer pencil. A grenade launcher was always a classic touch, but it could throw off the balance. Designing guns that didn't launch ottsels backward had proved quite an engineering challenge.

Out the window, city sounds echoed across the darkened landing pads. Daxter snored in a corner, drooling a little as he sprawled on a cushion stolen from the lounge sofas. He liked to come in and "watch her work," though he seemed more interested in her tail than her technical drawings.

Maybe if she made it top-loading, the ammo's weight would be far enough back—

The blonde ottsel looked up from her schematics, ears perked. Did someone just knock?

The faint rapping at the front door continued.

She padded from her workroom to the bar and climbed the rungs installed on the door to peer through the peephole, only to see… no one. A prank, maybe? Or someone giving up after they realized the bar was closed?

Another knock, just as faint, just as insistent, reverberated through the door.

She hopped down and opened it a crack.

On the step stood a bedraggled ottsel. Harsh streetlights revealed singed green-blonde hair, a trailing red scarf, and a too-big satchel that looked as if it had been dragged through half the city. If they hadn't been in the desert, a dramatic rain probably would have started drenching him. He looked up and squeaked in a gravelly voice: "Tess, I..."

Tess blinked. She'd know that rough voice anywhere. "Jak?"

Jak squinted as she opened the door fully and let light from inside fall across her transformed friend. He coughed, voice hoarse. "Oh, good. I... I was afraid you wouldn't recognize me." One of his ears flopped down in front of his face and he batted it away with a snarl of exasperation. Tess noticed the fur around his eyes, as soot-stained and matted as the rest of him, looked damp as well. "I was down in these… these caves and I found some old Precursor stuff and—" His voice cracked and he cleared his throat, looking down at his feet. "I, um, didn't know where to—I mean, after I got..." He trailed off, looking helpless and sad and very, very lost.

She dragged him in from the doorway and into a hug. "Shh, honey. Of course you came here."

His arms wrapped back around her and squeezed hard, clearly glad for the comfort even if he hadn't dared ask for it. "I didn't mean to wake you," he got out at last.

With a final squeeze, she released him. "Don't be silly, Jak. You need us and we're here for you." She dashed back out to the stoop and grabbed his satchel, dragging it and the last foot or so of filthy red scarf inside so she could close the door. That done, she pulled Jak back into her arms, ignoring him as he protested his filthiness. "Daxter. Daxter! You should come here, honey."

With a groan from the other room, her boyfriend stumbled in, unzipping his pants. "Ya wanna do it on the pool table again, babe? We'll try not to get your tail stuck down the pocket this time—" Surprise froze him stock-still as he laid eyes on the new ottsel.

Jak adjusted his oversized scarf and looked anywhere but at his friend.

Daxter opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again, almost cracked a joke… then prudently shut up and joined the hug.

As they hauled him to sit between them on the sofa Jak tried a couple times to explain, but kept trailing off, as if momentarily forgetting mid-sentence that he now had the power of speech.

Tess shushed him as she patted his knee. "First rule of being an ottsel: cuddles solve everything."

- / - / - / - / -

Jak awoke in a tangle of warm ottsel. Not for the first time—Dax had always been happy to curl up next to him and had insisted to Tess it was just what ottsels did. She'd joined within a month of her transformation. Something seemed odd about this cuddle, though. Usually the fuzz didn't extend so far along his body.

Oh, right. Some of this fuzz was his.

His eyes shot open.

Daxter blinked sleepily at him, obviously roused by Jak's startled twitch to wakefulness. "G'mornin', sunshine." On Daxter's other side, Tess uncurled with a petite yawn.

Jak cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh. Good morning."

The other ottsel stretched, wriggled leisurely, and settled again. "Well, might as well cut to the chase. Ya wanna explain what happened?"

Jak had given them only the barest description of last night's events. With a deep breath, he forced himself to explain. "I was digging around at the new Precursor site the eco miners accidentally opened up and found that." He pointed at the metal rod poking from his satchel on the floor. "Next thing I know, I'm fuzzy and two feet tall."

Tess reached over Daxter and clapped a paw on his shoulder. "Well, you've come to the right support group."

"Getting here wasn't easy. This… body can't reach the pedals and the steering wheel of a dune buggy at the same time. So I jammed some priceless artifacts against the accelerator to keep it down." He shrugged. "It worked a little too well. I crashed into the gate and got thrown out the front."

Daxter grimaced. "Ouch."

Jak dismissed the concern with a shrug. "It's okay, I landed in a trash can."

The pair of ottsels lifted their hands from his pelt and exchanged a wince.

"I climbed out, grabbed the artifacts, and got here as fast as I could. I figured between the three of us, we could come up with a plan." He stroked his fuzzier-than-normal chin. "We should probably show Keira that relic."

Tess gave him a charitable smile. "Before we do anything, you should probably take a bath."

With a nod, Jak hopped off the bed. His new body seemed pretty responsive, considering he'd only had it a few hours. He padded upstairs to the bathroom and unwound himself from his scarf.

After scrambling at the edge of the tub, he managed to turn the faucet on without falling in. He slipped into the steaming water, grabbed some shampoo, and tried to work it into his pelt, only to have most of it foam to bubbles in the filling tub. With a sigh, he sank and contemplated his situation. Things could be worse. At least he had a plan, friends, and moment's peace.

The door burst open, booted by Daxter, who traipsed in with barely a "Hey, Jak."

"Dax!" Jak's hands swept through the bubbles to cover his privates. "I'm in the bath, man!"

The scrawny ottsel bounced up a step ladder, onto the sink, and looked back through the mirror. "Yeah, and you're really that much more naked than you were with us on the couch all night." He blasted some toothpaste onto a brush and put it to enthusiastic use. "Besides, it's not like we didn't go skinny-dippin' as kids. An' we took showers together all the time! Well, when you were human. Before I moved in with Tessie-kins."

The green-blonde ottsel swallowed his objections and scrambled for a topic to distract from his nudity. It was a lot more unnerving when the person seeing him undressed was suddenly the same size he was. "How do you even get this fur clean? The shampoo just slides right off."

Daxter gargled with gusto, spat, then turned to his pal. "You've got a waterproof undercoat now, Jak-o. Handy in cold water, not so much for bath time." He hopped from the sink to the wall of the tub. "Don't worry, though—there's a trick to it."

Jak froze as his fellow ottsel reached down and scrubbed claws into his back fur. Hot water seeped to his skin in an instant, making him stiffen further. "H-hey!" His weak wave did nothing to discourage the grooming. "C'mon, Dax..."

"Relax, big guy." He chuckled, leaning in further. "You've been my personal stage for years. Why would we get all weird now?"

It felt… nice. A little too nice. He never thought he would thank the Precursors for bubble baths. A fierce blush burned in his drooped ears. "T-thanks." He wriggled away from his friend's paws. "I think I've got it from here."

With an amused chuckle, the shorter ottsel spread his fingers. "If ya say so. I've always had a vested interest in having you not stink, so I figured I'd give ya a head start." A hop bounced him off the side of the tub. He shook a fine spray of water from his paws, then swept one down his slinky body. "The Precursors really should'a left a how-to manual for all this."

Jak peered over the side of the tub. "Yeah… I admit I have a couple questions."

"Anytime ya wanna ask, Jak-o." Daxter snapped a finger at him with a wink. "Basically got my doctorate in ottselology at this point."

- / - / - / - / -

Daxter padded into the hallway a moment later, straight into the path of his girlfriend's smirk.

Tess crossed her arms under her breasts. "You're lucky I'm not the jealous type."

"Hey!" He propped tiny fists on curvy hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She eeled over and slipped an arm around him. "You were pretty eager to _help_."

"I couldn't just leave him hangin'. It took me forever to figure out how to get clean after I first got changed." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "I seem to recall showing a lovely lady ottsel the same tricks."

She poked him in the ribs and got a yelp out of him. "And I bet you also remember where it wound up leading, you big hornball. The poor guy's had half a day to get used to that body and you go pressing all his buttons with your magic bath fingers!"

"It ain't like that, babe!" Daxter's smile almost rang trustworthy, though the subtle bulge in his bathrobe gave away the lie. "Besides, Jak and I are close. He probably didn't give it a second thought."

- / - / - / - / -

Jak sank in the bubble bath, overwhelmed.

Why did Dax have to mention them skinny-dipping? It was bad enough to have the memory bouncing around his brain, but now he couldn't stop thinking about Daxter thinking about him naked.

Before life could get any weirder he crawled out of the tub, cursed the door for lacking a lock, and climbed onto the sink. Ignoring his wiggly body, he focused on just how to brush his teeth with a toothbrush that suddenly felt gigantic in his mouth.

A tap at the door almost knocked him from the sink. He wobbled with a startled squeak, gripping the hand towel ring for support.

A female voice bubbled from the other side. "Jak?"

"Umm..." He glanced at the door, but it stayed shut. Some people had more decorum than Daxter. "Yes?"

"It's Tess. Sounds like you're out of the tub." She hesitated a moment. "Right?"

Fur still dripping, Jak wrapped the small towel around his waist and picked his way down to the step stool. His foot fur felt like wet socks as he padded to the door. After a quick peek down to make sure he wasn't peeking out, he turned the knob and peered out.

Tess stood, studying the wallpaper. Her paw held out a length of purple linen.

He tilted his head to study it, then jumped a little as soaked ears flipped up to scatter droplets on his nose. "A cloth napkin?"

"That." She nodded, eyes averted in the picture of ottsel innocence. "And also a toga."

"Thanks." Jak closed the door, but got the impression she had checked out his butt as she turned to leave.

- / - / - / - / -

An hour later, the trio of ottsels waddled through downtown Haven City.

Daxter led the pack as they wove between people's legs. "First thing you gotta learn about being an ottsel: ya see a lotta chins. You can learn a lot about people from their chins."

Jak stared at the passing throngs of citizens who gave them little more than a passing glance. "How is nobody staring at us?"

"Now yer gettin' paranoid, buddy-boy." The ottsel in pants turned to walk backwards. "Nobody ever stares at ottsels."

"I did." Tess smiled.

"You're special, angel-cheeks." He caressed the ruff of her cheek. "Everybody else thinks we're muses or wild animals."

"Well, sometimes you are..." She giggled. "But they'd have no way of knowing that."

They arrived at Keira's workshop without undue mishap. The garage stood open, letting the breeze sweep through the oil- and eco-stained bay. Somewhere in the back, the occasional clank of metal on concrete and the steady clatter of a ratchet echoed.

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Jak braced himself for the coming conversation. "Maybe it would be better if I went in alone."

"Ya sure?" Dax slipped a paw onto his shoulder.

Before Jak could reply, Tess drew her lover back with a tilt of her head. She turned to the green-tinged ottsel. "We'll be right out here."

Gathering his courage, Jak padded inside. Behind a half-disassembled zoomer, he found Keira. Even in this time, hundreds of years from when they grew up, he could still see in her his old friend, as focused and grease-smudged as ever. Trying to keep his voice from cracking, he leaned against the front of the craft. "Hey, Keira..."

"What is it, Daxt—" Shock struck her like yellow eco, then melted away. "Okay, it's a wig or something. That's not funny."

The green-blonde ottsel shrugged. "Tell me about it."

"Jak? Seriously?" Her jaw dropped. Her ratchet hit the floor. "Oh, for the love of—! This is the last thing I need."

He crossed his arms. "Yeah, I really sympathize."

She leaned in and poked one of his ears. "How did this even happen?"

Reaching into his pack, he produced the rod of coppery Precursor metal and hopped up on his tip-toes to set it on her workbench.

Her eyes widened further. "A Precursor staff?"

"Found it in the old Precursor city." He tried in vain to adjust the satchel so the bottom didn't drag through the dirt. "Some surveyors uncovered a new complex."

"How'd you get it to zap you?" She reached to touch the device, face clearly displaying the unbridled mechanical curiosity she had always been known for.

The ottsel glanced up at her. "I think I hit some kind of hidden button."

Her hand froze a hair's breadth from its surface. "And you've just been handling it?" she asked incredulously.

"What's it gonna do? Turn me into more of an ottsel?"

"Okay…" Stepping back, Keira stroked her chin, leaving a small streak of oil. "I think I'll do a little research first."

"How long will that take?"

"I have no idea. But Daxter's survived for years as an ottsel, so you should be fine." She looked him over with a sigh. "You really should be more careful, Jak."

At a defiant three feet of fluff, he looked up at her. "You act like it's my fault I'm an ottsel."

"It _is_ your fault, Jak. Everyone else is just happy things aren't exploding anymore, but you had to find a wumpbee nest to poke." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Until this morning, my biggest worry was the spike in eco prices. Now I have to drop my current projects to help you."

Clearing his throat, he scraped a toe claw along the floor and rubbed the fur of his upper arm nervously. "So, does this, um..." He dropped his gaze to his hand and felt like a coward. "Does this change anything? With us?"

"Us?" Keira brushed a lock of hair from her face, nonplussed. She folded her arms down at him, hips cocked. "Jak, there's never really been an 'us.' There certainly won't be until we fix you." As she retrieved her ratchet from the cold floor, her eyes swept over his diminished body with what could have been distain. "I don't date animals, remember? Frankly, I'm not sure who could."

Jak clenched his teeth at a spike of anger and mentally kicked himself for expecting life to give him any sort of break. "I'm best friends with a couple of those 'animals,' you know."

"You know what I mean." She ratcheted a bolt onto some armor plating. "Daxter may flirt with everything that moves, but he's basically a big orange rat. That hasn't changed any."

"Sorry if repeatedly saving the world has some risks!" He hitched up his napkin toga and stomped for the door.

"What? What'd I say?" Keira's voice echoed through the garage and the growing space between them. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the zoo. Let me know if you find anything." He threw his scarf and an icy glance over his shoulder. "If you can spare the time."

- / - / - / - / -

Jak didn't have much to say on the walk home. Wisely, the other two agreed in silence not to press for details. As soon as they made it back to the Naughty Ottsel he retired to his sofa to be alone, leaving Dax and Tess in the bar with their thoughts.

The moment the door slammed upstairs, Tess turned to her lover. "He's staying with us."

"Well, yeah." Atop the bar, Daxter concocted a drink for himself. He started with malt whiskey and added grape soda. He glugged it down, then lost all control of his face.

Rolling her eyes, Tess swizzled some Leberkleister into peach gin, splashed in cranberry, and handed it up to him.

His gloved hands grasped for it, then dumped half of it into his mouth. After some frantic gargles, he spat into the sink and leaned against the tap. With a lingering wince and a thankful wink, he swirled the second half of his drink.

"I just feel sorry for him." Climbing up from behind the bar, she shook her head. "Keira never could see past the end of her own wrench."

"I dunno why she even got with the guy if she'd not willing to invest." Daxter finished his drink with a frown.

Tess's lips gave a pondering pout. "Well, he is amazingly good looking… and saves the planet all the time."

"Hey! I save the planet too. And I've been said to have a certain sleek styling." He slid a paw down his supple form.

"You do, sweetheart, but he has that little beard you just wanna scratch like a kitten's chin." She scritched under his chin for emphasis.

"Really?" Daxter crossed his arms and cocked his hips. "The tiny beard is what does it for you?"

"Second rule of being an ottsel, dear; when all you see are chins, you start developing preferences." She bounced and clutched her paws into tiny fists. "Besides, have you seen it since he got changed? It's the cutest thing ever! Is it too soon to say that? 'Cause I just wanna scritch it."

- / - / - / - / -

Night crept over the city walls. Jak crouched on the scarred, scuffed wood of Naughty Ottsel's bar. His reflection in a half-empty shot of whiskey stared back at him: furry cheeks, ever-present goggles now comically large, worn red scarf big enough to use as a cloak. His tail curled around big back paws, forgotten until the next time he turned and tripped over it, or slammed it in a door, or sat on it.

What use was a cast-off hero, barely three feet tall from five and a half? He could barely pick up the smallest of his guns anymore, let alone shoot it without flopping backward. He couldn't pilot a zoomer worth a damn or even reach the pedals of the Sand Shark. He could barely reach the handle on the refrigerator door.

Keira's shocked, dismayed face wouldn't leave his head. He hadn't seen or heard from her since their less-than-friendly conversation that morning.

Strangely, while it still hurt, her rejection hadn't surprised him like it should have.

What did upset him was the irony.

As teenagers, he'd had a huge crush on the redheaded human boy Daxter had been. After Dax got turned into an ottsel, though, they had spent every waking moment trying to get him changed back. Jak had never been good with words, so he had decided not to say anything that might make the situation worse. Plus, what would that relationship have even looked like? People joked about their close friendship, but ottsel bodies weren't exactly designed for sex with humans. He could get hurt.

And over time, it had gotten easier not to bring it up. He had dismissed it as infatuation. They and Keira had been the only teenagers in their whole village, after all.

Now, years later, he was the right size, the right species, and Daxter seemed pretty happy with his new body. Jak couldn't say the same, not yet anyway, but a much bigger problem had arisen: Daxter already had someone else. Someone sweet, kind, witty, talented. Beautiful. Female. The guy finally had life going his way—he didn't need his best friend making things weird by confessing his love.

Jak sighed. No use dwelling on what was not and could not be. He leaned forward and lapped delicately at the amber liquid in the shot glass, sensitive nose twitching at the sharp smell. He was too numb to bother with picking up the glass when it seemed large enough to be a regular sized tumbler in his small hand. Lost in thought and whiskey, he didn't hear the soft tap of padded paws approaching.

"I gotta tell ya, pal." A normally obnoxious voice caught his ear, now soft and almost teasing. "I know today's been a doozy for ya, but just hear me out. Ya look good fuzzy. An' I'm not just sayin' that, either."

Jak's head jerked up, orange ears flying back as he quickly straightened up.

Wiry but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around him. Jak found himself drawn against a warm chest, Daxter's smiling face buried in his neck.

"Dax…?"

"Shh, big guy." The other ottsel chuckled and patted his flank. "Lemme enjoy the fact that yer not towerin' over me."

His ears fell further. Another miserable truth. "We're the same size now. I… I can't protect you anymore."

"Nah." Orange fur tickled Jak's nose as he was squeezed tight. Daxter might have even been taller than he was now, by a good few centimeters. "Now I get to protect you for a change. And this time, I got some help."

Then something even more startling; smaller, more delicate arms slipped around him from behind. Pale yellow hair pressed and mingled with his own darker gold and green as Jak found himself tucked between two warm bodies.

Tess purred, rubbing a powder-puff cheek between the small hero's tense shoulder blades. "You'll stay with us, won't you, Jak?" She made eye contact with her boyfriend, then looked back to the green-blonde ottsel. "We've talked about it, and we totally insist."

"Yeah." Dax bopped his best friend on the arm. "About time you moved in for real, instead of crashing a Jak-shaped hole on the couch."

"Here at the Naughty Ottsel?" He blinked and considered the idea. "Sure. That would actually be nice." He had already usurped their upstairs sofa as his own several nights a week. What was the harm in taking them up on it full time, at least until he was able to find some solution to this newest catastrophe?

The couple dragged him out of his thoughts and upstairs; not to his sofa, as he had been expecting, but to the bedroom that had belonged to Tess and now belonged to them both. Behind their bedroom door, he found a jungle of fabric—Tess's sheets, the good towels, and a scattering of those tiny accent pillows. Together, it formed a sort of nest atop the bed.

Jak chuckled. "I see you haven't lost your pillow fort skills over the years."

"What can I say? It's a gift." Daxter sprung up onto the mattress. "One nobody can make fun of, since I'm not a human anymore."

Tess made her 'isn't he adorable?' face and climbed up too. Together, they pulled Jak onto the bed.

They slipped under the sheet-wall and the hard city lights shifted to a soft glow through the fabric. He noticed an auxiliary nest between the bed and the corner, out of sight of the door. Perhaps best not to inquire about what went on there. Might spoil the moment.

He settled into the basin of pillows, a bowl of noodley ottsels. Curled up along the warm bodies of his friends under a makeshift canopy, he decided life as an ottsel might have its merits.

- / - / - / - / -


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** As usual, uncensored version is posted on adultfanfic dot org.

- / - / - / - / - / - / -

Since his unwilling transformation, Jak had a hard time stomping. His new body, now roughly the same weight as one of his old boots, just didn't have the mass required for a good stomp. But Jak, being Jak, still did his best. So when Daxter heard the tell-tale slam of the saloon's back door and the subsequent 'click-click-click-click' of irritated claws on the hardwood, his hand stilled on a bottle.

"Hey, Jakkie-boy." He cast a glance over his shoulder. "You're back early. How'd the powwow go?"

Unintelligible grumbling was the answer he got as Jak stalked by, below the level of the bar, ears back to their extreme.

"That bad, huh?" Daxter threw his rag into a basket of others destined for the laundry. He paced down the length of the shelf and easily made the hop to the end of the bar. "Gonna tell me what happened to make you all snarly, or do I get to spend the rest of the evening guessin'?" He lay down on the polished wood directly above where Jak had come to a stop and peered over the edge.

The green-blonde ottsel below pulled off his scarf, growling a little under his breath. "The whole thing was pointless. I never should have gone. I knew it was a bad idea. No one takes me seriously anymore!"

Daxter's ears drooped. He had hoped his friend would feel better after Keira modified the jetboard for ottsel-sized feet, if he got the mobility back to resume some of his normal activities. But it seemed like Jak was still having trouble adjusting.

"Tattooed Wonder give ya trouble?" Daxter gave a sympathetic look, already knowing the answer.

"Who? Torn? The ass wouldn't stop laughing." Jak grumbled, folding his scarf down into a more manageable parcel. "We were trying to talk about the possibility of Jinx and his crew demolishing some of the worst areas of the remaining slums so they can call in contractors and start rebuilding. Get those people somewhere livable to call home. Clean up what's left of the palace, turn it into something useful. Make the city better. And every time I started to say something, he started laughing."

The ottsel on the bar slapped a palm over his eyes. Way to show support for a pal in a hard spot, Torn. "Well, what about Jinx? He didn't laugh at ya, did he?"

"No." Jak's claws dug into the fabric he held, insult and exasperation clear in his voice. "He tried to pet me! 'Don't worry, Goldilocks, yer just as cute with a fur coat!'" He mocked the accent and wrung the scarf ball. "So I bit him."

A deep groan slumped Daxter limp against the bar. "Of course ya did." His ears perked as Jak began to skulk away. "Where're you goin'?"

"To the roof to air out. My fur smells like Jinx's cigars." Jak trudged up the stairs and out of sight. A moment later, the roof door closed with a somehow dejected click. Better than the slam from earlier, but by a narrow margin.

Alone downstairs, the orange ottsel heaved a resigned sigh and spun a barstool with his toe. Jak never had it easy.

- / - / - / - / -

Tess pulled the laundry from the clothesline. As she struggled with the overlarge clothespins, she wondered how the Precursors dried their clothes. Tumble dryers seemed a little low-tech for a species that lived on spaceships. Then again, the pants they gave Daxter shed water and dirt like a lotus petal; maybe they never had to wash anything.

A green-tinged ottsel sulked upstairs and onto the roof.

"Hey Jak!" She folded the last of the towels and placed it in the basket, then started hanging wet clothes out to dry. "You got some mail from the Gun Upgrade of the Month Club. I may have peeked through it already."

"Not like I can use any of it anyway." Sad blue eyes surveyed his delicate paws. "Why're you washing clothes up here? There's a laundromat just down the block." He jerked his thumb to the wide concrete building.

"Daxter refuses to use washing machines-he's afraid his clothes will end up wherever lost socks go." She pinned another dripping neoprene top to the line. "And he may have gotten thrown in with the delicates once."

A laugh burst through Jak's doldrums. He crossed his arms over the napkin toga. "Dax never mentioned that."

"I had some pretty colorful undergarments as a human, so I didn't notice him in dozing on the hamper..." She offered a guilty shrug. "Poor little guy."

He fished another garment out of the pile and pinned it in place, lending a helping paw. "He was okay, though?"

"Being little and adorable doesn't mean we're not tough." She waved a pair of jean shorts at him. "I doubt the Precursors would've lasted this long if they were a bunch of fragile whiskered princesses. And Daxter tipped the balance of power in the Universe-with your help."

"Too bad nobody else sees this as world-saving material." He swept a paw down his slinky orange form. "Not used to getting laughed at. I don't like it."

She considering asking for details, but the slump of his shoulders made her change the topic. "My parents weren't sure what to think of my transformation, especially once it came out I was a god now. Then I had to clarify we're actually super-advanced aliens who built the planet."

Jak shrugged at . "Well, mostly built."

"Anyway, they already knew I was dating Daxter, so this wasn't the first bombshell I'd dropped." Tess grinned, whiskers fanning out cutely as she wrinkled her button nose. "Still get weird looks from some of my other relatives, but who cares? I'm dating the guy who saved the planet."

"Your parents must be pretty easygoing. I just had grumpy old Samos and an adopted uncle who fancied himself an adventurer."

"I guess it rubbed off on you." She giggled. "But yeah, my parents are pretty great. I learned everything I know from my family. Except how to be an ottsel, of course. It's too bad we're pretty much flying blind in that area-wish we'd thought to ask the Precursors more questions."

Jak shrugged philosophically. "They have to come back sometime. With you and Dax dating, they've basically started a colony here."

"A colony with fifty-percent population growth last week." She nuzzled between the hanging garments to smirk at him.

"Yeah, they'd be surprised about that." Amusement at picturing their reactions was immediately countered by a much more sobering line of thought. "Assuming the world isn't a smoking crater when they get back."

"You put too much pressure on yourself, Jak. Let someone else worry once in a while."

With a groan, he closed his eyes. "That hasn't worked out for me in the past."

"Is it really the end of the world if people aren't asking you to solve every problem the city has anymore?" She hung up the last of the garments: a rather dainty pair of briefs in sky-blue and gold.

"It is if the world starts ending again." The weight of his worries returned, slumping him down atop the square of fake sod Daxter had installed. He stared through the dangling undergarments with grim preoccupation.

With a roll of her eyes, Tess tipped the wash water down a rain gutter and patted Jak on the shoulder. Only after securing a small smile from him did she pad back downstairs with the basket of fresh towels.

- / - / - / - / -

Daxter sat up on the bar and pondered. His best friend was upset. As always, as it had been since they were human kiddos knee high to a grasshopper, it was his duty to cheer Jak up. He had to do something to pull the other ottsel out of the funk he saw him settling into. But what?

He was still pondering a minute later when Tess wandered down, waddling slightly under the load of a small laundry basket stacked high with fresh bar rags. She always had a sexy waddle, the kind that swayed her tail just above the floor thanks to that firm butt.

"Hey, snookums!" She brightened at the sight of him. "Just left Jak on the roof. He seems a little down."

Obligingly, he scampered over to unlatch the bottom half of the stable door that allowed easy access behind the bar. "Yep. The hero has entered the building."

Tess put her basket down and began to stack the clean rags in their place under the bar. "I wanted to ask him how the meeting went, but now didn't seem like the time."

Daxter winced. "You might wanna think twice about askin' that, angel-cheeks."

She dropped a rag back into the basket and looked up at him with mild concern. "Why? Did something happen? Renovating the poorer areas sounded like a great idea for the city."

"Oh, you know. Nobody took the talking rodent's input seriously, Torn laughed at him, and he bit Jinx for trying to pet him." He rolled his eyes. "The usual."

"Yeah, I heard about the laughing part. Poor Jak…" Tess frowned, thoughtfully refolding her rag. "I know how he feels. We know how he feels. There will always be people who don't think we're people. I just hope our friends adjust to him being an ottsel and start treating him normally before he really gets down on himself." She looked back up at Daxter. "Do you think we should talk to him about biting, once he's feeling better? That doesn't exactly make a good case for ottsels as civilized, respectable citizens."

Daxter had to grin. "No, but it does make an excellent case for Jakkie-boy bein' a badass, no matter what shape he's in!"

"You're not helping." Her tone scolded, but she couldn't suppress a smile.

Struck with sudden inspiration, Daxter grabbed a bottle of tequila off the shelf. "Maybe not. But I got an idea that just might. Do we have any of those cute little paper umbrellas left…?"

- / - / - / - / -

Half an hour later, Daxter tramped up the stairs with a tray of fruity drinks. It had been more years than he could remember since he had thought twice about barging in on Jak. Their friendship was like one of those big, sweaty saunas where everybody just lounged around naked scratching themselves; no need for formalities. So he was whistling happily when he kicked open the bathroom door a few minutes later, drink tray balanced precariously on one hand. "Oh, Jakkie-boy! I brought ya a little somethin' somethin' to perk ya up!"

It took a few moments, but a damp, green-spiked head finally peeked over the edge of the tub. "Is a little privacy really too much to ask?" Jak grumbled, ears back and an unconscious pout firmly in place.

Daxter sat the tray on the clothes hamper with a flourish. "It is when all you're doin' is sulking. Sulking doesn't do anybody any good."

The pout deepened. "I am not sulking."

"Sure, you're not sulking. You've just suddenly gone semi-aquatic for your health." Unconcernedly, he dropped his pants to the tile floor.

A green eyebrow rose. "Tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing."

"If you think I'm comin' in, then I'm doin' exactly what you think I'm doin'." His tiny fists propped on wide hips. "A party for one is a lame, lame party, Jakkie-babe."

"There is no party! I'm trying to—"

"There are umbrella drinks, Jak." Dax swept a paw at the multicolored beverages. "Your argument is invalid." His smile gleamed with charm as he grabbed two of the aforementioned drinks. "Now, do you want a daiquiri or a margarita?"

Jak gaped. His mouth opened, then closed, the green fuzz of his goatee dripping on the enamel. Then he laughed. It started out a startled chuckle, rumbling in his chest, and rose to an honest, continuous laugh as he slipped back below the edge of the tub.

Concerned, Daxter peeked over the side. "Jak? Are you drowning? Are you hysterical? Are you drowning and hysterical?"

The green-tinged ottsel had flopped limply against the back of the tub, shaking with laughter that rippled the water around him. "I have officially lost control of my life," he panted out between gasps. His tail swished through mounds of bubbles in his mirth, further churning them to frothy foam.

Daxter grinned back. "Oh, is that all? That's a relief. Here, take this drink; I need both hands to get in if you don't want me fallin' on ya."

As Jak regained enough composure to stand back up and accept the drinks, a polite knock tapped at the door.

Tess's head poked into view. "So, I heard there was a party in here?"

Jak froze in surprise, and for a moment Daxter was afraid that he would protest Tess's involvement. But his hackles went down almost immediately as he took the umbrella-topped glasses. "Apparently this is the place to be." He gave a chuckle of surrender.

The door opened further and Tess shimmied in, carrying a large bowl and wearing a small bikini.

Jak stared. Somehow, her being clothed made him feel even more naked.

Daxter let loose a long, low whistle. "Lookin' good, Tessie-kins. I was wonderin' when you'd wear that little number."

She grinned and spun obligingly, showing off sleek curves encompassed by pink polyester. "I'm still holding out hope for a community pool when the citywide renovations are done. Ashelin has my list of requests."

The greenish ottsel ticked through a list of questions but settled on: "Where did you even find a swimsuit your size?"

"The little girls' section, of course," Tess giggled. "Believe me, it wasn't easy. It took a while to find one that didn't have cartoon characters on it."

Ever the gentleottsel, Dax held Tess's serving bowl as she slipped over the lip of the tub. Jak, still looking a bit flustered but now more used to being seen pants-less, watched from the bottom of the tub. Another pass of the bowl, a quick hop, and all three ottsels settled into the warm water.

Daxter stretched, toes curling against the warm enamel as his slinky length spanned the width of the tub. "Aaahh. This is the life. Lovely lady, best pal, tasty refreshments, and our own private hot tub. What could be better?"

Jak, reclining near the faucet, eyed the plastic bowl as it eddied by. "Are those grapes?"

"Mm-hmm!" Tess swiped a handful as they floated past. "We used to use pretzels, but

grapes are waterproof and compliment the drinks."

"This is a normal thing for you two, isn't it?"

"Shh, Jak." Daxter reached over and planted a damp hand over the green-tinged ottsel's muzzle. "Shhhh. No more questions. Only umbrella drinks now." He took a long sip of his piña colada, ears quivering in delight at the combined punch of alcohol and brain freeze. "Now that's the stuff! Tessy, how doable ya think a grape colada smoothie is?"

Jak shook off the encumbering hand, rolled his eyes amiably, and, with a shrug of resignation, latched onto his own straw and sipped.

The female ottsel, meanwhile, replied only with a interested smile, as if curious to see where this would go.

- / - / - / - / -

An hour into the ottsel bath, the drink tray lay empty on the sink. The bath mat, however, boasted a small forest of empty stemware and wet paper umbrellas. The tub sat half-full of water and quite full of ottsels.

A pleasant buzz hummed through Tess's body as she engaged in general horseplay with the other ottsels. The tub squeaked under her paw pads. "Lurker shark!" She shrieked, scampering behind Jak with a splash of tub water and bubbles. "Save me, Jak!"

It was too late. Daxter eeled smoothly through the water, bright pink bikini bottoms dangling from his toothy, triumphant grin. "Grrr, baby."

Jak sloshed with a woozy laugh, one hand over his eyes. "Dax, I realize you don't have any modesty anymore, but Tess still might." He wobbled, paws sliding apart under the water on slick bathtub enamel. "Guys, I… I think I might be a little drunk."

The female ottsel covered herself with one hand as she tried to snatch the garment back with the other. "Less height means less body mass, so you get drunk on less booze."

"Ugh…" He sat down through a pile of bubbles. "That makes sense."

The shorter ottsel crossed his dripping arms. "Anything'd make sense to you right about now, Jak-o."

Tess ducked out of her bikini top. "I guess there's not much point in wearing this anymore..." She stretched it and shot it at her boyfriend. The streak of pink glanced off the rim of the tub and sailed away.

Ears dropping, Jak blushed.

"Don't worry, Jak; we're all fuzzy here." Water dribbled off Daxter's pelt as he stood. He patted his buddy on the shoulder with the bikini bottoms. "No need to be shy."

Eye-level with his best friend's junk, the green-tinged ottsel looked everywhere but sideways. "I-I guess..."

Dax swept a grandiose gesture. "I declare this bathtub an ottsel nudity preserve!" The momentum of his sweep threw off already questionable balance, toppling him into Jak's lap.

Ears flicked even lower, Jak tried to help his friend up.

The shorter ottsel snaked around and put him in a headlock. "Gotcha now!"

"Hey!" Jak fumbled at prying his ambusher's arms loose, then failed at ducking free.

Dax rode out his friend's efforts. "Ya know, I bet I'm more than a match for Jak now that he's lost his hundred-pound advantage."

The boys rolled around, tails and paws flying everywhere. Jak, despite his best efforts, was flung around like a wet towel, having no idea how to get leverage with his lithe new body.

With a giggle, Tess tackled both and pinned them to the floor of the tub, face-down. She grinned at their stunned, squirming forms, their eartips peeking above the bubbles like periscopes. "Guess I win."

Daxter squirmed up to dunk her in return. "You may be gorgeous, but you're not gettin' away with that! Rawr!"

They tumbled back, giggling, and bumped the shampoo caddy. Bottles clattered on a shelf above. With a plastic clatter, one tipped to glop thick pink ooze on Jak's exposed back.

"Ugh!" The slimed mustelid rolled over, only spreading the soap to his exposed stomach fur. He tried to shake the goo off his paws, to no avail. "What the heck?"

The blonde ottsel just shook her head. "It's just bubble-bath. C'mon." She dragged him under the faucet and turned it on.

There was an attempt at objection, but it came out as a gargle as the water rushed over Jak. The ottsel couple scritched the soap out of his fur. As they itched their way through his pelt, he fought a losing battle against his foot-thump reflex and laughed, teetering between pleasure and tickles. "Guys! Quit it! C'mon..."

Daxter slipped into drunken nuzzles against his friend's neck. Water coursed over them both, beading off their waterproof pelts.

Giggling too, the greenish ottsel offered only feigned resistance, eyes half closed, ears relaxed. He didn't seem to notice an orange paw drifting lower and lower down his stomach.

Tess's heartbeat sped as she watched her boyfriend put the moves on their best friend. Cold nerves battled the heat radiating from her crotch. While seeing him loosened up had been the plan, she didn't want them to be a source of hung-over regret the next morning. A little caution might be called for.

Dax flashed her a broad grin, to which she replied with a cautioning look. A small pout tinged his drunken revelry, but he did deign to stop tickling Jak.

Her cautions aside, she couldn't say she blamed him. Seeing Jak enjoying himself under her paws left her a little hot under the fur too. She shook her head with a fond sigh. "Maybe we should move the party to dry ground, boys." It wasn't likely that an ottsel, no matter how inebriated, would drown in six inches of bathwater, but she knew enough of their misadventures that tempting fate seemed unwise.

Still a little giddy, Jak stood and leaned against the wall of the bath. "Yeah, probably a good idea."

As they pulled the plug and abandoned tub, Tess scooped up the paper umbrellas and tossed them in the trash. Daxter could be a sweetheart, but he had a blind spot for litter.

Climbing over the edge of the bath, Jak tried to sound serious, but couldn't stop smiling. "That was actually pretty fun, guys. Thanks."

Dripping on the bathmat, Dax grabbed some hand towels and smirked up at him. "Sure, bud."

Tess's mouth, without permission, added, "I'm happy to roll around naked with you two any time."

With a startled squeak, Jak fell from the lip of the tub. He landed on the bath mat with a graceful squelch. A moment later he had burritoed himself in a towel with a frantic harrumph. "I— Uh— I think I need some sleep!" He saw himself out and padded quickly down the hall in a heroic retreat.

As Daxter snickered, Tess clapped a paw to her headband, which she'd forgotten to take off. "Remind me to remember how shy that boy can be."

Toweling off, they followed, just to see that he didn't fall out a window or something.

Though he couldn't quite make the trek in a straight line, Jak managed to climb into the bed the three of them now shared six nights out of seven. Tired and boozed up as he was, the newest ottsel addition seemed to conk out before his damp ears hit the pillow.

The couple watched from the doorway with satisfaction.

Dax snickered. "Aww, he's like a little drunken angel."

Tail tracing the floorboards, Tess leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You should apologize for trying to fondle your drunk friend right in front of me."

He crossed his arms as she shut the door. "I might, if I'd been the only one fondling, and if I couldn't smell how much you liked it."

Leaving Jak to his slumber, they crept away. While it was a real joy to have Jak around on a permanent basis, times alone had become few and far between. With the hero down for the count, they had a perfect excuse to weasel away for a few stolen moments.

Tess, tipsy but not quite tired, smoothed her boyfriend's damp fur as they padded into her drawing room. "It was adorable how Jak refused to sneak a peek."

Daxter staggered a little, leaning on her. "A compunction I never had, babe."

She smirked in the dim room. "Daxxie-poo, I never would've guessed."

"Sure! I've showered with the guy plenty of times, when we're crunched for time and hot water. Ottsels take up very little shower space." His orange paws hovered inches apart. "And lemme tell you: Jak's quite the guy to look up to." He grinned, spreading his paws further. "I've gotten more than an eyeful."

"You're lucky you didn't get an eyeful of soap." She elbowed her lover. "You would've deserved it."

"Not like I was polishing the ol' ottsel blaster in front of him or anything. Not that Jak ever looked down to see. But I snuck a peek or two... " Flopping backward onto the battered cushion, he smirked up at her."...every time."

"Oh Daxter, you're a scoundrel." She slunk atop his slinky orange form, nose to nose.

"You know it, babe." Quick kisses bubbled between them as they slipped into their own little world.

- / - / - / - / -

Catching her breath, Tess ran a paw through Daxter's chest fluff to feel his heartbeat. "Mmmm. Somebody was a little riled up from bath time. I should make sure you see Jak naked more often."

He rolled his eyes. "It's nice havin' the guy around all the time, but sex sure would be easier if we didn't have to go sneakin' around."

"It's good to keep an eye on him." She patted his arm. "Turning into an ottsel can be tough."

Daxter groaned and scooted off the wet spot they'd left on the fabric. "That, and we need to make sure he doesn't try to do anything that will blatantly, obviously get himself killed because he's a stubborn jerk."

"I worry about him too." She brushed a lock of hair back. "It was good to see him laugh."

"Yeah, I haven't seen him that happy in a while."

She rolled leisurely beside him. The cool of evaporation felt wonderful after their frantic lovemaking. While she liked her new body overall, she sometimes missed having her whole body sweat, instead of just her paw pads. "It's a big change, turning into an ottsel."

He leaned back on the cushion, hands behind his head. "I handled it quite well."

"Jak told me how you freaked out, sweetums." Her paw patted his stomach. "Not that I blame you. You were the first one, after all. At least I had you to show me how fun being an ottsel can be."

A moment passed in silence between them.

"You want to show him how fun it can be too, don't you?"

He blinked at her, furry face radiating faux-innocence. "Isn't that what we just did?"

Her eyes narrowed playfully. "You know what I mean."

"Only if you want to, babe." He shrugged, breaking eye contact to glance away almost bashfully. "Like I said, I had a thing for the guy when we were teenagers and that hasn't exactly gone away. Doubt it ever will."

"Oh, so it's my choice?"

"Lemme put it this way: I already got a best friend who'd risk his neck for me in a heartbeat and a sexy girlfriend I adore. Why would I screw with that unless we're sure about it?"

Snuggling closer, she giggled into his shoulder. "I don't know if the ladies of Haven City would forgive me for snapping up two hunky gentlemen."

He counter-snuggled, curling his tail over hers. "Nobody's called dibs on the guy, that much we know for sure. I'd say he's fair game."

"He is sweet." An image struck Tess of an ottsel clinging in a tree like a ripe mango.

Almost whisker to whisker, Daxter searched her face, looking oddly serious for him. "If we really go through with this thing, you're sure it wouldn't mess up what me and you have?"

"Well, if you think about it, Jak's basically always been in our relationship. You and he are so close it's always seemed natural to me." She nuzzled his nose. "This isn't going to change things between us, snookums. At least not for the worse. Think he'd be up for it?"

His huge grin was much more like the Daxter she knew and adored. "Never known my man Jak to turn down adventure. And yer my biggest adventure of all."

"Flatterer..." With lingering friskiness, she nibbled at his ear. "So how would we even do this?"

In conspiratorial tones, they giggled up plans of how to break it to Jak that he was about to be plucked.

- / - / - / - / -


	4. Chapter 4

Characters: Belong to Naughty Dog, Inc.

* * *

The sounds of a busy bar woke Jak late the next morning. With a yawn and a stretch, he crawled to awareness and wished immediately that he hadn't. There was nothing ottsel-sized about his hangover.

Blearily licking dry lips, he sat up on the pillow he'd passed out on the night before. Though he found himself alone in bed, rumpled indents in the blankets nearby attested to the company he'd had overnight. He rarely slept on his sofa anymore; one or both of his friends usually came to collect him, claiming it wasn't natural for ottsels to sleep alone. Easier to just hop in bed with them in the first place.

Plus, not that he would admit it, he enjoyed being able to share their sleeping space. The bed was warm, soft, and smelled like his friends; what more could he ask for?

Sighing, Jak gave a last stretch for good measure and began the arduous process of squirming his way to the floor, half-consciously rubbing his fur along the Tess-and-Daxter-scented sheets as he did so. There was something very right about smelling like his friends—so right that the hero had decided to stop fighting the strange impulse. At least for as long as he was an ottsel, anyway.

He couldn't help a deep inhale at his own fur. For some reason, the sheets smelled particularly good this morning. Maybe Tess was using new fabric softener.

Once his feet finally found the rug, the upstairs bathroom was the first stop. A long drink and an ottsel-sized dose of aspirin helped jumpstart the process of feeling normal again. He'd have to keep better track of his alcohol consumption with this new body, if the night before was anything to go by.

Finished in the bathroom, Jak shrugged into his dish towel toga and descended the stairs with groggy caution.

The Naughty Ottsel buzzed with activity, as it did every morning that they opened for lunch. He still wasn't used to crowds, but the regular patrons seemed like decent sorts. Since Krew's ousting and the bar's ownership passing into furrier, friendlier hands, the clientele had also changed for the better.

"Ordering! We need a barbeque burger and a basket of onion rings, please!" Tess called back to the small kitchen.

She'd put two of their part-timers in charge of dishing up the menu's modest but tasty assortment of burgers, sandwiches, and deep fried snacks. Others waited tables on the floor area. Except in very special circumstances, the bar itself remained the ottsel couple's domain.

Jak smiled as he hopped gingerly onto a stool at the end of the bar, unobtrusively out of the way.

Tess spied him immediately. "Good morning, Jak," she chirped, trotting over. She had long since instated a 'no paws on the bar during business hours' mandate, so the tops of her ears bounced along at the level of the countertop until she came to the stool closest to where he sat and popped back up again. "How are you feeling? Can I put you in an order for breakfast?" She glanced at the clock. "Ah, lunch?"

His stomach rolled in protest. "No thanks, Tess. I'm still a little green around the gills."

Down the bar, Daxter looked up from the shot he was pouring to laugh. "Green around the everything, ya mean! Lookin' kinda rough today, Jakkie-boy."

"I'm blaming you for this." Jak laid back his ears. "You're the one who kept handing me margaritas without warning me about the body size to liquor ratio."

With a kind chuckle, Tess reached out to comb his hair back into place.

Her nails felt good along his scalp, so Jak let his ears fall and allowed the attention. "If I ever try to have a repeat of last night, you have permission to smack me."

She smiled, patting his head gently. "Duly noted."

The bell over the door chimed, causing all three ottsels looked up in unison.

"Taryn!" Daxter exclaimed with delight, tail thumping the side of the stool he stood on. "What's shakin', toots? It's been too long."

The tall, busty woman rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she made her way to the bar, purple ponytail swaying behind her. "It's been three weeks, Daxter."

Tess abandoned her stool for one closer to the other woman. "Is it mani-pedi time again already? Not a moment too soon! Can I get you a drink or maybe a snack?"

As Tess and Taryn gravitated together and began a conversation that seemed to include salons and guns in equal measure, Daxter passed out the round of drinks he'd been concocting. Hopping down from his perch, he waddled from behind the bar to join Jak.

"You haven't met Taryn yet, have ya pal?"

The green-tinged ottsel shook his head. Of course he had heard about the friends who had helped Daxter during his quest to find out where Jak was being held prisoner, but their relentless adventures since then had put introductions on the back burner.

He studied the newcomer with a critical eye. "She seems… capable."

Daxter grinned. "That's putting it mildly. When I met her she was pretending to be an exterminator supplier, but what she was really supplying was a ton of weapons for the resistance. She and Tessie can gab about guns for hours. It's great when the ladies in your life get along so well." He reached up to grab Jak's wrist and tug him off his stool. "Come on, I'll introduce ya. She probably thinks you're a figment of my imagination by now."

Jak, still bleary, sighed. "After the week I've had, I'm starting to think that, too."

Taryn glanced down as the two ottsels approached, dodging the occasional pair of legs. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of an as yet unknown mustelid. "And who is this?"

Daxter stood to his full three feet, fluffing proudly. "Taryn, babe, it gives me great pleasure to finally introduce my main man, Jak; best pal in the universe and esteemed sidekick. You may have heard his name mentioned briefly in the grand tales of my adventures." He threw an enthusiastic arm around Jak's shoulders, drawing him closer. "Say hi, Jak-o! Don't be bashful."

"Niff to mee oo," Jak managed, mouth muffled by his friend's fluff. He popped his head above the encircling arm and gasped a breath. "Uh, nice to meet you. Thanks for helping Dax out so much. And for putting up with him."

"Hey!" The shorter ottsel bounced at the impudence. "That's it, impertinent sidekicks get noogies."

Taryn's surprise gleamed brighter than the red lipstick on her face. She watched the resulting tussle with fascination. "You're… you're very welcome. I've heard about you —who hasn't heard about _the_ Jak, really?— but I suppose I never realized that you're… that you're a… also an ottsel. I could swear I've seen a wanted poster with you on it, minus the fur."

Tess giggled as Jak finally succeeded in pinning Daxter against the side of the bar with an audible thump. "It's a handsome mug shot either way." She shot the hero a playful wink.

Jak flushed under his fur, nose and ears heating. Just like her boyfriend, Tess had long since mastered casual flirting. She loved getting a rise out of him—and it worked. He pulled his toga a little tighter. "Uh, yeah. The, um, fur is a recent development. A friend of ours is working on fixing the problem. Right Dax?"

Nose buried in the juncture of Jak's neck and shoulder, Daxter didn't answer. Instead, he breathed into his thick yellow fur.

"Uh, Dax?" Jak was suddenly worried. He didn't think he had tackled his buddy into the wall so hard, but he was still getting used to his new ottsel body. Maybe he'd been rougher than he'd thought? He elbowed Daxter gently, jostling the arm still clutched around him.

The other ottsel snapped to attention with a blink. "Wha?"

Tess peered down at them, ears perked with curiosity. "Sweetie, is everything okay?"

"Oh, sure, sure! Hunky-dory, no problems here." Daxter gave Jak a hard pat on the back and finally moved away, squirming out from between the greener ottsel and the woodwork. "So, Taryn! What brings you here during the lunch rush? Not that I'm complainin', but toenail talk's usually reserved for after hours."

Jak flicked an ear at the abrupt topic change. That was weird. But, then again, Daxter and odd behavior weren't exactly strangers.

Taryn glided into the conversation. "Well, since you ask, Ximon would like for you to get in touch with him about a job. This afternoon, if you could manage it. It sounds rather urgent."

Jak looked at his friend, ears periscoping in interest. "A job?"

Daxter cocked a hip smugly. "Yeah, Jakkie-boy, a job. I, unlike some people, have a couple steady ones. I only go bug bustin' for people I like, though." He rubbed the fur of his chin contemplatively. "Urgent, huh? Creepy-crawlies harshin' his mellow?"

"Yes. He was adamant that you be contacted about it." The human frowned thoughtfully. "And from what he told me, the problem might not be simply bugs."

Tess paused in the act of loading a tray with glasses, an empty mug in each hand. "What do you mean, not just bugs?"

Taryn leaned closer over the bar, expression growing serious. "That's what I'm still in the process of finding out. I don't want to alarm anyone, but…" Surreptitiously, she glanced around to make sure no eaves were being dropped. "There are rumors in the slums that the metal heads are making a resurgence. If that's true, metal bugs may just be the first wave."

Jak's screech of anger and disbelief echoed around the bar, surprising everyone including himself. A waitress walking by behind them fumbled and dropped a plate in shock. Over the tinkle of broken glass, he forced down chattering rage to articulate properly.

"That's impossible!" His whole body tensed, hackles up and ears back. "We crushed the metal heads after we reclaimed the city. Even they're not stupid enough to come back." His tail lashed in agitation, frizzed huge as each hair stood on end. "Nothing like that would get past Ashelin and Torn anyway—they'd have to know that something's up. They would have told me!"

Daxter gingerly patted him on the shoulder, looking more apprehensive at his friend's anger than the threat of their enemies' possible return. "Of course they woulda, pal. You know the Tattooed Wonder, though. He'd make sure everything stayed under wraps until they knew for sure if somethin' was even wrong."

"That's right." Quickly climbing down the bar, Tess set a paw on his other shoulder, her tone one of reassurance. "News like that would cause a citywide panic. Of course they wouldn't want to worry anyone without cause. Especially you, Jak. You have enough on your plate right now; I'm sure our friends wouldn't want to burden you with something else to stress about."

Apparently satisfied that no one had picked up on the conversation going on around her knees, Taryn stopped glaring people out of hearing range. "I suppose that could be true. No need to have the local hero up in arms until there's concrete evidence." She looked Jak up and down somewhat skeptically. "But then again, I suppose they could have passed you off as being unable to do anything about a threat like that now."

Despite himself, Jak wilted. That was exactly what he'd been afraid of.

"Not that it's true!" Taryn rushed to amend at Tess's scathing frown. "I'll admit I didn't think much of Daxter's capabilities when we first met, and look at what he was able to accomplish."

"Yeah, what she said! And remember, you're my sidekick. Any sidekick of mine has to be amazing!" Looking marginally less afraid of being bitten, Daxter slipped his arm back around his friend's shoulders. "So ease up, buddy. No need to go on a fluffin' rampage. We'll figure this out."

Though his tail still twitched angrily without his conscious permission, Jak's hackles began to settle. Unfortunately the same could not be said of the pounding in his head; high blood pressure had a time and place, something his hangover took the opportunity to rudely remind him of. He whined under his breath, palms rubbing ineffectually at his eyes. Just when he thought life couldn't get any more complicated. "Oww…"

Tess and Daxter exchanged a pointed look.

"Shall I tell Ximon you'll take the job, then?" Taryn asked.

Daxter nodded decisively. "I'll be ready in ten." He leaned forward to land a quick peck on Tess's fluffy cheek. "Hold down the fort for me, sweet-cheeks?"

She returned the kiss with a smile. "You know I will. Be careful."

Jak straightened up and rolled his shoulders, putting on his Hero Face. "We will be, don't worry."

The couple swapped another look. Tess subtly shook her head.

"Oh boy." Daxter scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Um. I don't know how to break this to ya, Jakkie-boy, but… I think this oughta be a solo mission, if you know what I mean."

The greener ottsel blinked at him, uncomprehending.

"I'm headin' out to spray flammable poison, pal." He made a flamethrower gesture. "Let's just say you look like you've got enough poison in your system for one day."

Jak's ears fell. "But I'm fine. I've gone on plenty of missions in a lot worse shape than this."

"Don't remind me!" His friend cocked a hip and raised a finger. "One: you look like you got decked by a prize-fighting lurker. You're very obviously not fine, so don't even try the line." A second orange finger flicked up. "Two: just because you're _able_ to push yourself into extreme situations when you feel like a sack of crap, doesn't mean you _have_ to. Things aren't that serious yet."

"But—"

"No buts, pal. Stay here with Tessie and recoup. Remember, this is just recon. I'll be back in a couple hours with more intel. If Ximon's just dealing with some really ugly roaches, great. If there's more to it than that, then… well, then the Daxternator an' his trusty sidekick can work out a battle plan together."

Taryn glanced down at Jak and let slip a small, teasing smirk. "And perhaps in the meantime you can find something a bit more intimidating than a toga for your sidekick costume." Before he could protest, she was off her stool and back to business. "I'll call Ximon and let him know we're on our way. Daxter, meet me outside in ten minutes or find your own ride."

Orange Lightning offered a smart salute. "You got it, toots!"

Tess likewise sprang into action. "Let me grab you a bite for the road, Taryn. I know you forget to eat when you're fixated." She grabbed an order pad and began to scribble. "While you two are gone I'll get in touch with the girls at Freedom League headquarters—they might have some useful information to leak to a gal pal in need."

"Great idea, Tessie-kins. Use those networking skills." With double pistols and a wink to his girl, Daxter turned tail and scampered for the storage closet that held his exterminator gear. "Hang tight, Jak-o! I'll be back before ya know it."

All at once, Jak found himself alone at the bar, pounding head bouncing back and forth as he tried in vain to watch three people go in three separate directions.

For the first time in memory an important mission was underway, and the hero had been left behind.

- / - / - / - / -

The door closed. Jak cradled his head. "I thought ottsels didn't get hangovers."

Tess wiped down the bar as the last few patrons left, the lunch rush over. "Daxter doesn't get hangovers. I didn't get sloshed in the tub last night. You, on the other paw..."

"Don't remind me." He sunk lower and lower, until his nose pressed to the cool of the countertop. "Glad someone can be a hero, because it sure isn't me right now."

She patted his shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

His hand unrolled onto the bar. "Daxter's out fighting metal bugs alone."

"He's fought them before."

"Yeah, he got pretty capable when I wasn't looking."

She shrugged. "So let him be the hero."

"He is a hero. Without him, I'd have gone crazy years ago. And still be in prison. And dead." Eyes closed, he sighed and deflated a little more. "I'm the one who's been freeloading."

"Since the world stopped ending?" Leaning over the bar, she wrapped him up in a hug. "I think that's understandable."

He patted her arm and smiled a little. Finally some progress; at least he didn't look like an abandoned pet crocadog anymore, complete with big, sad eyes.

A shrug rippled from her shoulders down her body. "And really, how full of himself do you think Daxter is?"

His ears rose a few degrees. "Pretty full."

"Well, yes. It comes naturally to him." She crossed her arms. "I think it's his way of lightening the mood. He's a teeny-weeny little fuzzball bragging about saving the world. Something about it makes you laugh, so he doesn't care who else it annoys."

His eyebrows rose.

"I've had lots of time to think on it." She waved the topic off with a flick of her bar towel. "Let's keep this between us. Dax's ego will quintuple in size when he realizes that you see him as a hero too."

He chuckled in spite of himself. "You're probably right."

"Come help me clean up the kitchen." With a tilt of her head, she drew him from the barstool. "We'll figure out something for you to eat too; can't have our hunky new sofa-surfer wasting away."

The distraction worked. For a while. An hour later, though, Jak stared out the window. Where the heck was Daxter?

Tess sidled over to rest a paw on his shoulder. "My famous hash browns didn't recharge you?"

"Huh? Oh." He glanced down at the few shreds of fried rutato on his plate. "Guess I'm still not at one hundred percent."

"In that case..." Hopping up onto the sofa, she patted the cushion next to her. "Let me introduce you to the wonder of grooming."

- / - / - / - / -

Jak leaned into Tess without thinking, looking up at the curvy female through lidded eyes. He lay on his back, the front half of his body in her lap. He'd resisted at first, but after the first few minutes let her undo the top of his toga for easier grooming.

She hummed as she stroked the brush through his fur, her face a picture of tender concentration as she smoothed away the tension that had been winding his shoulders. His eyes drifted shut listening to her croon a soft, wordless tune, and he mused how Daxter was one lucky guy. It would be real, real easy to fall in love with a girl like Tess.

He did his best to relax like she'd told him to, though still fighting the alien rumble of a purr that tried to rise in his throat. Tess caressed the tines of the brush through his fur with expert ease, hitting all sorts of little hidden places that made him shiver. This was really something else. No wonder Dax liked being petted. He inhaled deeply, narrow chest expanding against the brush. Somehow she smelled as good as she looked. Had she always smelled this good? For all the times she'd ridden on his shoulder, he couldn't recall feeling so content, so titillated.

"Enjoying that? Good." Tess smiled. "Here, you can do me." With a quick shrug, she ducked out of her top.

His scruff fluffed in panic. "What?!"

"What?" She laid down. "I just want you to return the favor." One orange paw rose to offer him the brush. "It's only fair, right?"

He should really say no. He should make a polite, reasonable point about her being his best friend's girlfriend. He stood up to brush her.

The front door swung open, admitting a singed and ruffled Daxter.

Jak froze where he stood. His gaze shot to the half-naked female at his feet, then back to Dax. "I swear it's not what it looks like!" His already loosened toga fell to his ankles.

Daxter cocked an eyebrow, then extinguished a smoldering whisker. "Whatever it looks like, I'll take some of it." He shrugged exhaustedly out of his sprayer pack and padded over.

The green-tinged ottsel snatched the fallen napkin back around himself, nose and ear tips flushing furiously.

Daxter eeled up onto the couch beside his girlfriend. "First off: we're gonna need more sprayer guns."

Tess turned her head his way, eyes darkening in concern at his rumpled and smokey state. "Bugs?"

"Bugs." He flopped flat on his back, paws spread wide above him. "Lots of 'em. Big, big bugs."

Again suitable for mixed company, Jak cleared his throat and secured the treacherous garment.

"So there I was, tail-deep in insect goo and down to my last swatter battery." The orange ottsel's voice swelled to match his ego. "Metal bugs to my left, metal bugs to my right—I blasted 'em as fast as they came at me. Dozens, no, hundreds of the creepy crawlies."

"Then what?" Normally, Jak knew better than to encourage the short ottsel's tall tales, but the more his friend bragged and generally behaved as normal, the more he could be sure that Daxter had avoided serious injury on his solo mission. Besides, he wanted to ensure the conversation didn't drift to his sudden and recent nudity.

"Then I melted more carapaces." He made little shooting gestures with his hands. "Blast-blast here, blast-blast there, here a splat, there a splat, everywhere a splat-splat—"

Tess had apparently come to the same conclusion that Daxter was more or less unharmed. Looking much less worried, she propped her chin up with one arm, taking the brush from Jak and putting it to use with the other. "So they're all dead?"

"You kidding? I used the last of my sprayer juice to rocket outta there." He aimed the imaginary gun down and pulled the trigger. "I barely scratched the surface."

Jak forgot his recent embarrassment in the face of such a report. A serious threat. Mounting danger. Potential of messy death. Despite himself, his ears perked. "So, does that mean…?"

His friend grinned up at him. "Yep. Looks like I'm gonna need my sidekick after all!"

- / - / - / - / -

To be continued.


	5. Chapter 5

By: Sillynekorobs & Tempo

Characters: Belong to Naughty Dog, Inc.

* * *

"I think you should know, I find your enthusiasm about this disturbing."

Jak just flashed a wolfish grin. He paced back and forth along the floor in front of the bar, gung-ho and ready to go. The fur along his spine stood on end in a neat, prickly row, attesting to how amped he was at the prospect of looming battle.

"Well, you can just hold yer leapers, pal." Daxter stroked a paw down Jak's back to smooth his hackles. "We're not goin' back in there yet." He folded his pants over his arm decisively. "There's nothin' useful we can do until Taryn hooks us up with some more bug spray, and Tessie's not done upgrading the sprayer pack yet." A small black nose wrinkled in distaste. "Plus, I'm not goin' nowhere without a shower first. And my pants are covered in bug slime!"

Though crestfallen at the delay, Jak stopped pacing a trench in the floorboards. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked at the splattered pants, then back to their equally decorated owner. "But, uh. While we're on the subject of pants, I think Taryn was right. The toga's not cutting it." He tugged at the hem demonstratively. "Is there any way I could get something else to wear? And maybe some, um…" His ears drooped. "Underwear?"

Daxter snickered. His buddy could get high on dark eco and tear metal heads apart with his bare claws, but he couldn't bring up underwear without getting ruffled. Adorable. "Feelin' my pain after all these years, Jakkie-boy?"

The greener ottsel rolled his eyes. "If I ever laughed at your underwear soliloquies, consider this my formal apology."

"Apology accepted." Dax laughed. "Don't worry, pal. We'll get ya hooked up soon enough. If we're goin' back in there with barrels blazin' you're gonna need some gloves, at the very least." He peered up at the bar. "Hey Tessie, what would you say to a shopping trip? Lunch is on me!"

No answer came from above but the clink of metal on metal.

With more than enough experience with his girlfriend in the zone, he scaled a stool and popped up beside her. "Earth to Tessie; come in, Tessie; do you copy?"

Elbow deep in the sprayer pack, she made a vaguely affirming noise and didn't look up. She sat cross-legged on the bar, at the center of an array of tools. A third the size of a regular gunsmith, she could do finer work on guns now and even crawl inside some of the bigger ones. Talk about getting consumed by your work.

He nosed a little closer. "Everything okay, sweet-cheeks?"

The blonde ottsel pulled out her arm, flicking off the clinging oil and goop. "No wonder you're not doing enough damage—you're barely using any explosives!" Standing abruptly, she strapped on the sprayer pack, grabbed the nozzle, and sparked the pilot light to flickering life. "With these upgrades, you should be able to shoot poison, fire, _and_ regular ammo! Watch this." Aiming casually into the kitchen, she pulled the trigger.

"Whoa!" Daxter hit the deck as a massive spurt of flame erupted from the pack and shot into the adjoining room.

Below, startled by the whoosh of unexpected heat and light, Jak executed a flawless leap-and-dodge combo. He landed on all fours with a hiss, teeth bared and hackles at full salute.

As Daxter cautiously raised his head, the sprinkler system deployed.

With a bright smile, Tess turned back to see their reactions, too swept up in success to acknowledge the downpour soaking her pelt. "Now that's more like it!"

- / - / - / -

It took less time than Daxter would have expected to override the sprinklers, dispose of the charred remains of an unlucky blender, and call the insurance company. That accomplished, he headed upstairs for a much-anticipated shower while the floors downstairs began to dry.

Tess followed with a spring in her step, still dripping.

"Nothing dampens your spirits, does it, baby doll?" Dax grinned as he climbed into the tub.

She hopped to the sink and plugged in the hair dryer with a smile in return. "Not often, but right now the rest of me sure is."

They shared the bathroom in comfortable silence for several minutes. Daxter whistled as he shampooed the remnants of battle from his fur; Tess dried, fluffed, and combed until her pelt and hair were tidy once more.

When Daxter cut the water and climbed out of the tub, Tess was waiting with a towel and a brush. He surrendered to her capable hands with a willing purr. "So, am I correct in jumping to the conclusion that you showed Jakkie-boy how nice a brush can feel while I was out?"

She giggled and ran the bristles down his spine. "Caught me red-handed. He just looked so pitiful when you left him behind."

"How'd he take it?"

Blonde eyebrows gave a naughty wiggle. "About as well as you usually take it."

"Oooh. Sorry I missed it." He wrapped the towel around his waist and flicked excess water from his ears. "You think he's adjusting a little better to bein' an ottsel, then?"

She paused to ponder, twirling the brush in her fingers. "I think he is, whether or not he realizes it. Did you see him shake himself dry downstairs? He didn't even pause to think about it. He seems to be using his nose a lot more, too." Standing on tiptoe, she put the brush back on the sink. "Speaking of noses…"

Daxter shook shed orange fur off the towel before looping it back on the rack. "What about 'em?"

"This morning, when Taryn was here. You were sniffing Jak like he was a four course meal and you were starving to death." Her arms crossed playfully over her chest. "Anything you'd like to share?"

His ears shot vertical at the memory that had been pushed to the back of his mind by clusters of metal bugs. "Oh, baby, it was amazing! He smelled like us, Tessie! Us and him and sex!" He threw his arms around her and squeezed, head pillowed on her chest as his tail twitched in delight. "So, so amazing."

"Sounds like it!" She laughed, stroking his damp ears. "So you don't think it was too much too soon, making love right next to him last night?"

He snorted dismissively, this time reveling in the scent that was pure Tess. "Nah. He was so out of it last night I doubt he even knew we pulled it off. But scent-marking the bed'll definitely start puttin' ideas in his little green head, whether he knows it or not."

She petted his head indulgently. "Naughty and strategic; that's my Daxxie-waxxie."

"You know it, sweetheart." With one last hug he straightened, fluffing his fur into proper alignment. "Alrighty, let's get this show on the road. I promised our pal some gloves. Hate to leave the guy hangin'."

- / - / - / - / -

Amid a milling crowd that afternoon, a street vendor handed off three sizzling yakow kebabs.

"Perfect. And here's a little something extra for you..." Daxter tucked a folded bill into the vendor's shoe with a wink, then waddled back to the group and stuffed a wad of cash back into his side pocket.

Jak cocked an ear. "When did you get money? I thought the bar's profits were going toward scrubbing all traces of Krew off of it."

The younger ottsel sighed, slumping just as he was about to bite into the treat. "And so it shall be for some time to come."

Tess chomped at the barbecued meat, then gestured with the whole stick. "Some parts of the bar are actually a completely different color than they appear to be."

Dax placed a paw on his chest, raising the skewer like a sword. "A noble effort, restoring a noble establishment to proper glory! And in the meantime, the money's from lending a certain product my star power."

Arms crossed, Jak still managed to nibble at his kebab. "You got an endorsement deal?"

Daxter threw an arm around his best friend. "Jak ol' buddy, I don't know how it slipped my mind to tell you, but we are now the proud spokescritters for Ottsel-brand wetsuits."

Tess nodded. "They also made a bunch of cute underwear for us. They're very supportive." She looked Jak up and down with a critical eye. "Speaking of which, we should find some pants for him if he's going with you next time you go bugging."

The shorter ottsel groaned. "Aww, do we have to?"

"Hey, not all of us have access to super-advanced space pants." Jak wiped a bit of sauce from his clothes, which only reminded him it was really a glorified napkin.

After finishing lunch and hitting up a few other shops, they came to the local fingerless glove emporium. A shopkeeper looked up from sewing sequins on a gaudy set. Racks of paired wares lined the walls, but the trio padded straight back to the kids' section, where the shelves were low and the prices not to scale.

Jak stretched his fingers in one of the smallest leather gloves in the joint. "I'm surprised they make these in our size."

"They're off a Wastelander Wendy doll." Tess examined a more formal pair in pastel green.

The greenish ottsel cocked an eyebrow. "Wastelander Wendy doesn't believe in pants? Or was Dax just too proud to wear them?"

The shorter ottsel laughed. "Doll pants are not made for the anatomically correct." He caressed the lap of his trousers. "And I _am_ especially gifted in the anatomical correctness department."

"And he has a tail." She patted his rump.

He nodded at her patting paw. "That too."

"The shirts fit, though." Tess did a little spin and waved her tail at him. "And I cinched watch bands together to make this rockin' belt."

The hero of Haven City blinked at her butt. "Very… um, resourceful."

As they made their purchases, the clerk at the counter cast a few extra glances their way while she counted out their change, but said nothing about the sudden increase in ottsel population.

At another business a few blocks down, they special-ordered pants and tunics that would fit a miniature hero's measurements. That the shop in question was an upscale children's clothing shop went gracefully uncommented upon.

"Thanks for the help." Jak placed a paw on either ottsel's shoulder. "I was afraid I'd have to be like Daxter and run around naked for years on end."

Tess giggled. "Yeah, Daxxie's a bit of a showoff like that. He should know by now that clothes have their upsides." She threw an arm around either boy, then cast a scandalous glance down her lover. "Like, they're fun to take off!"

The greenish ottsel walked into a lamp post with a sharp clunk. "Ow! By the Precur—" He staggered back, but once he shook off the shock he found himself strangely unharmed. "Okay, this body's more durable than I thought," he mused, running his paws up and down his chest calculatingly.

"You have no idea." She winked.

Jak lifted his ears, trying to recall if Tess had always been as much of a flirt as her boyfriend.

As the trio passed an arcade, Daxter popped up with a shout. "Whoa!" Before his companions could respond, the shorter ottsel vanished through the door with a patter of frantic paws.

After exchanging a shrug, Tess and Jak followed.

Inside, arcade machines lined the walls with blinking colors and blooping noises. A few patrons plinked away at low-res aliens or smashed through crates as some kind of marsupial.

Daxter caressed the cabinets with awe, staggering between the ones with for-sale signs. "The First of Us! Unmapped! We're talkin' modern classics here." He spun to face the woman behind the counter. "And you're just sellin' 'em?"

Blowing a bubble in her gum, she surrendered a shrug. "Power bill's getting expensive, so I put some of the worst energy-hogs up for sale."

The giddy ottsel spun to his friends. "Guys, we gotta buy these!"

Tess appraised the machines, then their seller. "How much?"

The gum snapped between her teeth. "Sixty orbs apiece."

Jak winced. "That's kind of a lot."

The female ottsel crossed her arms. "I'll give you a hundred for the pair."

The attendant offered another shrug. "Fine, but you haul them away."

"Woohoo! Deal!" Daxter grabbed the communicator off his belt and raised it in triumph. "I shall have Ximon's zoomer here within the hour!"

Tess smiled at her lover's obvious delight. "Okay, but let him drive this time. We don't need bug poison on the new machines."

Jak stroked thoughtful claws through his goatee. "Don't you guys already have one? The whack-a-metal-head game?"

"Yeah, turns out customers don't like bein' zapped." Daxter made a slight electrocuted pose. "We stick these babies in the corner, though, and watch the money roll in. Plus, arcade machines imply it's the kind of establishment you won't get shot for drinking in, which we need."

"I guess you guys know what you're doing." Jak shrugged. "It's your bar, after all."

"Since you're officially a resident of Ottseltopia, you can have input too." Daxter bumped his friend on the arm. "We could give ya a little coffee station at the end of the bar."

Tess nodded. "Java Jak's, we'll call it."

"I don't know..." The greenish ottsel couldn't help but smile at the pair's enthusiasm. "I'm not big on customer service."

- / - / - / -

Ximon proved as punctual as Daxter had lauded him to be. Within half an hour of receiving the call, he arrived at the arcade with his dump zoomer to transport the newly acquired game cabinets. The vehicle shuddered to the street with a whirr and a roll of dust.

The gangly young man emerged, unfolding from the driver's seat. "Hey there, little furry dude and dudette! What's shakin'?" Grinning, he leaned down to give Daxter and Tess five, a gesture both dutifully returned.

"Just doing a little shopping while we wait for Taryn to reload our spray packs. As you can see, we scored some primo deals!" Daxter indicated the games he had chosen and preened. "You can be our first player! Coins on the house for moving 'em for us."

"Awesome, dude," Ximon agreed. Then he caught sight of Jak. "Whoa! Who's your new buddy, dude?"

Tess linked her arm with Jak's as he shifted uncomfortably. "This is our friend Jak. I think you two might have met once before? He did look a bit different then."

"Oh, yeah! I totally remember you. Dude, weren't you like... taller and stuff before?" He nodded sagely. "I remember that kind of stuff because one of my ancestors was a famous sculptor. It's where I inherited my eye for detail, you know."

"Whoa!" Daxter's eyes shot wide. "Jak, this explains so much..."

Jak closed his with a suffering sigh. "This guy is going to be absolutely no help to us whatsoever..."

"Jak had a run-in with some Precursor tech and ended up joining the ottsel entourage," Tess explained. "He's sticking with us while we figure out what to do about it."

"Righteous." Ximon leaned down to pat Jak encouragingly on the back. "The more the merrier, I always say." He looked at the three of them thoughtfully. "Now, I've heard you're an action-packed kind of dude, so will you be giving Daxter a paw with the—" he wriggled his fingers and made a toothy face, "—creepy crawly problem?"

"Absolutely," Jak said firmly.

Daxter rolled his eyes with a grin. "Ximon, you couldn't keep him away from this funhouse if ya tried."

"Rock on, dude. My old man and I really appreciate you helping us out, especially when you're already dealing with some stuff of your own."

"Right now I'm not helping. I'm shopping," Jak grumped, ears lilting back. "While you're here, maybe we could talk about the situation. Approximately how many metal hea—"

Tess shooshed him gently. "Jak, sweetie, I know you're impatient. We're not downplaying how important the situation is, believe me. But the middle of the marketplace during the afternoon shopping rush isn't the best time or place to discuss delicate details. Anyone could overhear."

"She's right, pal." Daxter shrugged apologetically. "Right now it's 'hurry up and wait,' which is no fun for you, I realize. How about we all talk about it back at the bar while Ximon unloads the games?"

Jak deflated with a sigh. "Alright."

Tess watched his resignation sympathetically. Poor guy. She had specialized in watching and waiting at her post for the Underground, but she couldn't deny that she knew how it felt to be held back when there was action to be leapt into. "We're almost done here, anyway. Why don't we start heading back? We can window shop while we walk."

- / - / - / - / -

After seeing Ximon off with the machines, the trio waddled off through the rest of the market district. At some length, they passed a bedding shop. Colorful quilts and satiny sheets billowed on the breeze, hung on racks on either side of the door.

"Ooh! Pillows are on sale." Tess bounced on her fuzzy toes. "We can replace the ones we stole from around the bar. And look, they have those little beds for crocodogs." She patted the foam-stuffed nest. "Just about ottsel-size."

"Oh no." Daxter flattened the idea with his hands. "Sleepin' in a pillow fort is a life-long dream. Sleepin' in a pet bed is just insulting."

As they debated the point, a passing preteen girl picked him up and shook him. The captured ottsel flailed with a startled yelp.

With a look of wonder, the girl hoisted Daxter for inspection. "Mom! Mom! We totally need this!"

He tried in vain to escape the hands around his waist. "Put me down, ya brat!"

"Whoa!" She gave him a gleeful shake. "They talk when ya squeeze 'em!"

Her mother looked down with concern. "I don't know, sweetie. It seems kind of dirty..."

"Hey!" Daxter squirmed, jabbing a finger at the parent. "Lady, I'll have you know I showered this morning! With soap!"

"Ack!" The adult jumped back. "Sweetie, put that down, we don't know if it's had its shots!"

"But Mom!" The girl clutched him to her chest. "He's so cute!"

Squeezed again, Daxter spat out a string of profanity to make the ears of passersby curl.

The child's mother tsked. "No, dear, that's definitely not suitable for kids." She dragged her offspring away and the struggling ottsel was dropped.

Daxter landed with a squeak. He stood and shook his fist as they vanished into the crowd. "You come back here and I'll show you 'not suitable'!"

Jak laughed outright while Tess giggled.

Dax rounded on his companions exasperatedly. "What?!"

"Nothing, whiskerpuss." She shrugged with an amused grin. "Kids are cute."

"If by cute ya mean terrible!" He pointed a spindly arm after the long-gone pair. "What a little jerk!"

Jak fought down the last of his chuckles. He would have intervened, if Dax had really been in danger, but he couldn't help but agree with Tess that the encounter had been more cute than anything else. Still, he sympathized with his friend. If someone picked him up like that he would have bitten them, kid or no kid. He leaned in and, without fully realizing what he was doing, gave Daxter a nuzzle of consolation.

The shorter ottsel spun to Tess, whiskers sprung out. "Eeeee, Tessie, he nuzzled me!"

Jak froze in momentary embarrassment at his impulsive move. "Uh, I think that was just some sort of ottsel instinct." He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping they wouldn't think it too weird.

Apparently his fears were unfounded. Smiling wide, Tess clasped her paws with a bounce. "Wow, we have the most adorable instincts ever!"

- / - / - / - / -

To be continued.


End file.
